mm

And I'm happy to say that I've found the evidence!

Really?!

I present you the decisive evidence implicating the killer!

T-This is the jacket Mr. Hull wore yesterday! Why is it all wet?

Are those bloodstains?

And the Originum ornament... is this the murder weapon?

That seems decisive. How do you explain this, Mr. Hull?

Th-This is all a big misunderstanding!

I, I just... er...

No more excuses!

This is what you get for underestimating me! The evidence is clear! There's nowhere to run!

My goodness, Miss Metis... how did you manage this?

Hmph, looks like you're not all talk after all!

You're an outstanding detective!

And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for this meddling detective!

But you'll have to catch me first!

Not so fast!

Hah!

Ugh!

Hands up! No sudden moves!

There's no such thing as an unsolvable mystery when I'm on the case!

Mr. Hull!

You, sir, are the true culprit!

Hold it right there!

<i>That's</i> your ending?!

You're skipping right to the killer reveal? What kind of ending is that? And you just made up everyone else's lines, didn't you?

W-What gave you that idea? They were all remarkably impressed with my detective work... it's only natural!

That's quite enough, Zima! I won't stand for such an attack on a detective of renown!

Ha. If you're a 'detective of renown,' then I'm the new sheriff in town.

The first half was okay, but your ending is even worse than 'The Death of Ilyich, the Suspect'...

Hmph! Some people just can't appreciate a good story!

But you're not one of them, are you, Istina?

Hmm...

Sonya may have been a little too harsh, but it's definitely missing some important details.

For example, the killer wrapped the bloody clothes around the heavy Originium ornament, making sure that the evidence would sink to the bottom of the lake.

Yes, that's right!

And it's not so easy to dredge up evidence from the bottom of a lake.

Well, er... it did take some time... I spent days digging through the mud, and we finally found the evidence with the help of the police...

So they didn't need you at all.

It was I who found the clue! And I dug through the mud for three straight days! I found the evidence with my own hands!

We got the killer in the end! What's a couple of days more or less?!

That's not all.

W-What else?

The evidence happened to be preserved in the form of bloody clothing and a weapon this time. But what would you do if the culprit actually destroyed the evidence using Originium Arts?

Er... well, that happens from time to time...

The police have tools for investigating crimes by Arts users.

So they <i>didn't</i> need you at all.

Oh, stuff it!

At least the premise was interesting. Foolish detective and clever assistant.

Did you ever see Heidi again?

What do you mean by 'at least?'

Soon after, I encountered that suspicious penguin, so I went undercover to pursue him...

Er, actually, never mind that.

(Forget the undercover stuff...)

(You're still trying to hide it?)

Ahem. Anyway, I never saw Miss Heidi again.

But I'm sure my first assistant is still out there, and doing well.

And we'll see each other again when I become a household name!

But to do that...

I'll have to catch that fat penguin with the gold chain!